But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.
Parallel translations
- WEB But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to work the vineyards and fields.
- BSB But the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.
- NKJV But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.
- NASB But the captain of the bodyguards left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.
- NLT But the captain of the guard allowed some of the poorest people to stay behind to care for the vineyards and fields.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Babylon deported Judah's leaders and skilled people but left the poorest behind to farm the land. Even in judgment, God preserved a remnant in the land.
Overview
Nebuzaradan, the Babylonian captain, carried off the bulk of the population but left the lowliest poor to tend the vineyards and fields, keeping the land minimally productive. This detail underscores both the thoroughness of the exile and a faint preservation of life in Judah. It quietly anticipates the biblical pattern in which God exalts the lowly and spares a remnant, a theme that culminates in the gospel's good news to the poor.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 2 Kgs 24:14And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
- Jer 40:7Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon;
- Jer 52:16But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.
- Jer 39:10But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.
- Ezek 33:24Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.
How 2 Kings 25:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.